JOHNSON, Vt. – The Johnson State College men's basketball team defeated Maine Maritime Academy 78-73 in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) contest on Saturday afternoon at Carter Gym.
The Badgers improve to 6-9 (3-6 NAC) on the season while the Mariners move to 2-14 (1-8 NAC).
1st HALF
The teams traded the lead through the opening ten minutes, with the Mariners holding a 20-19 edge midway through the period. MMA took control the rest of the half, outscoring Johnson 24-16 before a last second three by Marqwon Wynn (Wilmington, Del.) cut the Mariner lead to 44-38 heading into the break.
2nd HALF
The Badgers were able to pull the game back within one six minutes into the half when a Donell Shaw (Washington, D.C.) layup made the score 52-51. Johnson regained the lead on their next after Robert Dubose Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa.) pulled in an offensive board and put it back up to take the 53-52 lead. The lead changed hand eight times over the next eight minutes, with Johnson holding a 69-67 lead with just under five minutes to go. Shaw would take over the game from that point, scoring seven of Johnson's final nine points. The junior pulled in a pivotal offensive rebound with just over a minute remaining and buried a layup with one-minute left that extended the Johnson lead to 76-73 and helped solidify the win. The Mariners had an opportunity to send the game to overtime, but a Brendan Newcomb three was off the mark and the Badgers pulled away with the 78-73 victory.
JOHNSON LEADERS
Points: Donell Shaw – 17
Rebounds: Donell Shaw and Shakeel Irvin – 7
Assists: Demetrius Slade – 5
MMA LEADERS
Points: Adam Richardson – 18
Rebounds: Adam Richardson – 12
Assists: Adam Richardson & Brendan Newcomb – 3
STATS BREAKDOWN
Field Goal %: MMA 45.5% | Johnson 49.2%
3-Point FG %: MMA 38.1% | Johnson 34.8%
Rebounds: MMA 34 | Johnson 38
Assists: MMA 14 | Johnson 13
Turnovers: MMA 13 | Johnson 13
Points off Turnovers: MMA 17 | Johnson 15
Bench Points: MMA 15 | Johnson 37
NEXT UP:
The Badgers will head to Colby-Sawyer on Tuesday, January 23 for a NAC contest at 7:30 p.m.